ECOCLUB Blogs™

CAMAT [Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism] celebrated Worldwide Day for Responsible Tourism, June 2nd, 2009, in Mountain Inn, Chitral town with a goal to create awareness about “Tourism and Water Resources: Impacts, Responsibilities and Solutions with a Future”. Scholars, religious leadership, NGO representatives, members of Kalash and Khow communities presented papers on the following themes: • The impacts of tourism development on water resources•Without water no tourism is possible•How to preserve and enhance water resources e.g. lake, ocean, river, waterfalls etc. by responsible tourism development?•Can responsible tourism development help improving accessibility for people with drinking water?•Tourism in the light of Islamic teachingsProblems of water pollution highlighted and concerns about receding glaciers in the Hindukush region were recorded. It was stressed that lakes, springs, streams, rivers and glaciers must be protected in order to showcase northern Pakistan as an attractive tourist destination in the future. If water resources are degraded, then the very basis of tourism will be undermined and serious healthcare issues involving jaundice, typhoid and diarrhea etc will surface in the host communities. Thus major responsibilities, as the forum pointed out, lie with tourism institutions, hotel owners, transporters, guides and other primary tourism stakeholders, who must fall in love...

How lucky are those living in relatively small and not so powerful states...When some big and powerful (?) ones will not allow their citizens to search online and learn what happened on this day, 20 years ago. "Ignorance is Strength"? Does anyone really believe that a hybrid system which is fast becoming the very opposite of the classless and stateless society, combining capitalist exploitation, rising inequality & corruption, environmental degradation, labour abuses, lack of press freedom, internet bans & monitoring, and minimum right to protest and nationalism - can last for ever? The above sadly applies to various degrees to most if not all places on earth. Because not enough people have had enough of being ruled/interpreted/exploited/represented and have not yet realised that there is is no real need for a compromise or choice: individual liberty and common ownership/mutual aid. There cannot be one without the other! If you have realised this, don't wait for the second coming or seek excuses, change your daily routine, dealings, everything, make friends with others who think alike. One peaceful revolution a day, one break in the wall that separates us from happiness and one another.  

Heritage Radio Network, live from New York!The Main CourseFirst Aired - 05/17/2009 12:00PMPatrick and Katy speak sourcing and cheese with Steve Jenkins of Fairway Market, Cruz Goler of Lupa Restaurant and Nikki Rose of Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries.The website: www.heritageradionetwork.comSearch for Nikki Rose in the block provided.

The people of northern Chitral celebrated Jashan-e-Qaqlasht, the traditional festival, from April 24-27. The commuinities around the Qaqlasht plateatu participated with great enthusiams. Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, Sarhad Tourism Corporation and Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism sponsored the event through joint venture. The festival consisted of cultural and sporting events. The sporting events were: traditional free style polo, tug of war, football, vollyball, shot putt, marksmanship with muzzle-loader gun, paragliding and marathon race and so on. The cultural activities included day and night musical programmes, poetry session, school speesh contests and the like.The major objective of the festival is to promote tourism related enterprises and business opportunities beside providing entertainment and affording enabling environment to the local communities particularly youngsters so that in the field of sport and culture they will be able to perform in a better manner.

Culinary Adventures in CreteKellari Taverna, 19 W 44th St, New York, NYMay 12, 7:00 PMJoin Nikki Rose of Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries, an internationally acclaimed educational program, in celebrating Greece's cultural and culinary heritage.Discover the bounties of Greece during presentations by Chef Rose, Chef Gregory Zapantis of Kellari Taverna and Konstantine Drougos of Wonderful Ethnic Wines. We’ll enjoy a delectable dinner featuring our favorite Cretan and Greek dishes paired with excellent Greek wines.$85 per person. Proceeds go to the CCS documentary project. This program is limited to 50 attendees. Advance registration is required. For more information contact Nikki Rose: info[at]cookingincrete.comCrete's Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Networkcookingincrete.com

Global warming is a real discomforting phenomenon with measurable negative impacts for the less developed and remote regions of the world like Chitral, northern Pakistan. Climatic changes experienced by Chitrali locals in recent years have affected villages and brought about ˜alluvial fans [fan-shaped deposits of water-transported material]. Recently, the village of Sonoghor was engulfed by an enormous mud slide caused by a glacier breaking up and wiping out 100 households. Most believe the catastrophe to be linked to the effects of global warming which has extended its tentacles to remote and unspoiled regions like Chitral. The glacier melted and thinned the walls around the many water reservoirs on the glacier which, in turn, melted given the increase in temperatures.Another incident occurred following an unexpected avalanche at Washeej village in the Torkhow valley, destroying many households and killing 50 people. The incident is also linked to global warming.To counter natural calamities like these, an awareness campaign needs to be mounted among Chitrali locals, disseminated by environmental, ecological education and research. There is a saying in Khowar language ‘nadanioche kani baraba’, [ignorance and blindness are the same]. We can cure our social blindness and raise awareness for the protection of our environment only...

Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries WorkshopImplementation of Responsible Tourism by Rural CommunitiesOn-site presentations by project directors in Crete, GreeceOctober 11-18, 2009Designed for current and future Responsible Travel practitioners, the media and researchersPresented by the CCS network of residents practicing community-based tourism, organic agriculture and cultural and natural heritage preservation. CCS is internationally acclaimed for best practices in Responsible Travel.Travel with CCS to historic and natural sites, rural communities, organic farms and tavernas for an overview of how communities collaborate on responsible travel programs. People actively involved in sustainable living practices will cover real-world issues that will help workshop attendees create their own programs or share their findings.Locations, On-Site Meetings with the CCS Network, Examples of Mass Tourism and Alternatives:North-Central Coast: Historic Sites, Organic Winemaking, Traditional Cuisine, Small-Scale Lodging, Building Restoration, Mass Tourism, DevelopmentCentral Mountains: Nature-Based Tourism, Cultural Heritage Preservation, Traditional Agricultural Practices, Artisan Food ProductionNorthwestern Coast: Mass Tourism, Small-Scale Enterprises, FisheriesWestern Mountains: Community-Based Tourism; Organic Olive Oil Production; EcolodgingThis program is limited to 12 attendees. Fees: Euros 2,400; US$ 3,200 per person, includes seminar presentations, professional and specialist compensation, scheduled meals and tastings, lodging (private room with private bath), scheduled ground transportation. Contact Nikki RoseFounder & Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I had the opportunity recently to see the documentary, Milking The Rhino. The film provides an interesting and hopeful look at community-based conservation and tourism in Kenya and Namibia.The film will air today on PBS so tune in if you can.There will be a teacher's edition of the film available shortly. I think it would be a great addition for teacher's of ecotourism and I plan to include it in my spring Adventure Tourism class.To learn more, visit www.milkingtherhino.org.CarolP.S. My spring newsletter is now online. To read about other ecotourism news and events, please go to www.kalahari-online.com/spr09.pdf

Greetings,It's great to have an opportunity to discuss the diminishing quality of our food sources and a chef's integral role in supporting sustainable foodways. As well-informed spokespeople about the crucial issues impacting our safe food sources, chefs can and should play an important role in conveying the problems to the local and global community and devise ways to collaborate on solutions.I began working Greece 11 years ago on educational programs that linked visitors with traditional chefs, bakers, fishers, shepherds-cheesemakers, organic farmers, olive oil and wine producers. They share their invaluable knowledge about centuries-old sustainable living practices, their culture and excellent cuisine. In return, we pay our teachers well for their time and expertise. We benefit from a great learning experience and our teachers benefit from our support to carry on their traditional trades that are fast disappearing. Back in 1998, we did not call our work *green* but considered it to be common sense. By linking the global community with local communities that are actively involved in sustainable living practices -- including organic agriculture and sustainable tourism, chefs have a unique opportunity to present big-picture issues and work together on solutions. The key is to provide concrete support to the people...

As the old adage goes tourism is like fire, it can cook your food, or it can burn your house down.But it was not tourism, but probably pro-mining interests, that burned down the house of eco activist Stefanos Kollias in the village of Kaloskopi in the Mt Giona area of Central Greece, on Sunday night (March 30). Kollias, originally from Athens, has been campaigning against the further expansion of bauxite mining in this largely pristine area. A few days ago he had tried to legally block an environmental impact assessment study conducted for a large mining company. This is the second time in recent months his house is set on fire. A campaign is underway to rebuild his house see here for details (in Greek)while protests are also planned.Next time you think of consuming a multinational soft drink or beer packaged in an aluminium can, remember that it is created and transported through a process which probably involved a lot of human and environmental misery. Not to mention that it (aluminium, not beer of course) may have various adverse health effects.